The Heart is an Involuntary Muscle
by Shinim3gami
Summary: Exams are coming. Won't update for a bit. Sorry guys!
1. It's All Over

Chapter One It's All Over

Disclaimer – _It's All Over_ by Three Days Grace; from the album One-X.

"Kesuke"

"You called, Kai-sama?"

"Wake her."

**_Your bottles' almost empty; you know this can't go on  
Because of you my mind is always racing  
The needles' breaking your skin; the scar is sinking in  
And now your trip begins but It's all over for_…**

Rae awoke to a sharp pain in her side; she opened her eyes and found herself staring into a familiar pair of eyes – Kesuke. There he stood, towering over her in the ugly green scrubs he always swore; it was then she finally became aware of her surroundings. For the 7th time this month she had stayed in this same room; stared blankly the same white walls and inhaled the stringent smell of antiseptics.

"Kai-sama is waiting outside for you"

_I don't want to see him…_the girl thought bitterly as she stumbled painfully out of bed and towards the door. She let out a soft sigh as she turned the doorknob to let herself out. _This had better be the last time…_

The young blond man grinned when he saw her, "I have work for you."

The girl bit her lip and nodded.

"You could at least _pretend _to be excited, my darling."

Rae stared blankly into the darkness beyond him, ignoring his remark.

He chuckled softly, "is staying alive no longer a prerogative to work for me?"

When Rae neglected to respond, he went on to vaguely describe her assignment; the details, she was told, would be provided as the mission went under way since Kesuke and Kai, himself, would accompany her on this mission. This troubled her. For the first time in her life, she was walking blindly into an assignment; knowing nothing but the objective was _not_ going to ensure completion of the task.

Rae scurried about her small room, readying herself for the journey. She had few belongings and even fewer to bring with her on a venture through desert terrain. Rae sighed as she went through the items in her pack: several changes of light clothing, weapons, med kit and money.

However, something felt…missing.

She glanced around the room once more and her eyes fell upon the necklace lying on her night table as if it had been carelessly tossed there. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Snatching it up, she quickly fastened the chain around her neck and rushed toward the door.

"Rae-chan, it's me."

Closing her eyes, she exhaled deeply as she unlocked the door to let him in – Kai.

"Are you ready?" he asked her.

She nodded in response.

Kai stared at her with his sea-green eyes, "Not in the talking mood are we, Rae-chan?" he sneered, eyes fixed upon her – prying, searching for something.

_Stop looking at me…_

"What's wrong Rae-chan?" he whispered as he reached out and gently stroked her cheek with his knuckles. "This time, you won't have to hurt and suffer like that anymore. This time, I promise I won't hurt you anymore."

Rae responded with silence. Behind the handsome features; captivating blue-green eyes and sweet words lay a hideous monster with whom she was all _too_ familiar.

Inhaling slowly, she calmed her thoughts. However dark her hatred; however deep her resentment – she knew could never escape him. If she wanted to live, to breathe; she would have to be his, forever his.

"_Hai_, Kai-sama" she said finally.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Something was in the stables, silently tearing the animals to shreds. It would soon make its way inside. Creeping from room to room, bed to bed; it would rip out the throats of the sleeping and unwary inside, young and old alike.

Having neither face nor name; it became known as 'The Thing' that struck at random, gorging itself on the livestock; killing as it pleased. The first incident had been a family of four – all murdered, their throats torn out by brute force. When the second and third followed several months later, never again would darkness befall Suna; shinobi were ordered to restlessly patrol the streets after nightfall.

But to no avail.

The carnage saw no end.

Villagers would often disappear, and their corpses reappear weeks later – without a strip of skin or flesh; only bones, bleached white by the harsh desert sun. And for a year, life in Suna carried on but with everyone hanging on to one last thread of hope and sanity – it was not to last long.

_**I know what runs through your blood; you do this all in vain  
Because of you my mind is always racing  
And it gets under my skin; to see you giving it  
And now your trip begins but It's all over for..**_

The Kazekage let out a soft sigh as he stood perched on the roof and looked out over the village; troubled by how things had become over the past year. The streets were empty – devoid of people and vendors alike. Since the murders, trade between Suna and the surrounding villages had all but come to a grinding halt – it would not be long before everyone departed.

He felt resentment for his own failure. As Kazekage his primary concern was the safety of the villagers, not only was he unable to provide security, there was now nothing left in the village. The stores were barren; the usually busy streets were empty.

But gravest sign of his failure was the fact that he could no longer hear the laughter amongst his people. All around him there was sorrow, grief and anger. He felt weak and powerless to protect those around him. If he only had –

A firm grip on his shoulder disturbed his train of thought.

"_Nii-chan_, there is no use brooding…" his brother said softly, "Come inside, you've not slept nor eaten in days"

Gaara shrugged, "I'll be alright, Kankuro"

The puppeteer retreated, acknowledging his brother's desire to be alone.

Relieved to be alone again, Gaara laid back and closed his eyes, drowning once again into his heavy thoughts.

"This village looks…terrible…"

"What did you expect?"

"We've been in the desert for days, Kai-sama! I cannot bear it any longer."

"Shut up Kesuke. If Rae-chan can endure this, you can!"

Gaara sat up; unpleasantly disturbed by the conversation below. He peered down at the trio of strangers walking out of his line of sight. "You three, halt!" he said icily as he disappeared and instantaneously reappeared before them in a veil of swirling sand.

"What business have you here?" he demanded.

The blonde man smirked, "Ah! The Kazekage…" he exclaimed with a deep bow, his two companions followed, "I sincerely apologize, my lord for not stating our purpose here. We have come, like many others before us to capture this 'thing'."

"Bounty hunters?" Gaara sneered at the unusual threesome.

The man who had spoken to him could very well pass for a shinobi…but the two at his side, Gaara had his doubts about. One was a tall, lanky and rather awkward looking boy with his medic band tied around his arm. The other was a frail girl, the emptiness in steel grey her eyes made him shudder – it was as if she was already dead.

After a moment's hesitation Gaara nodded in approval, "You may carry on this unfinished task of your predecessors. But allow me to warn you –"

"There's no need, Kazekage-sama. We are well aware of the dangers and will not in anyway hold this village responsible for our loses"

Gaara nodded, "what are your names?"

The young man smiled, "oh! How rude of me!" he exclaimed, "I am Tenaka Kai; to my right is Kusanagi Rae and on my left is our medic Yamada Kesuke."

"I wish you all the best on your ventures" Gaara muttered before disappearing in the same fashion he had appeared before them.

The three companions carried on forward in silence.

_So that's the Kazekage..._

_**Are you surprised, Kesuke?**_

_It was as if he was 'expecting' us._

_**What makes you think that?**_

_He **did** just materialize in front of us._ She had interjected blankly.

_**That's a lie, Rae-chan! You knew he was coming – I saw you flinch just a moment before he appeared. His sudden appearance certainly has changed my previous conception of him – he does not seem the slightest bit like the vulnerable prey he was made out to be.**_

_No, he isn't _

_How strong do you think he is now that he is without the Shukaku?_

**_Apparently not strong enough…Kesuke..._**

Rae sat in silent reflection of their conversation; absentmindedly tracing a shuriken down the length of her finger index, drawing blood. What a pathetic mission!

Of all the places she had been before, there was none other she hated more than Suna; the heat, the sand, the mission and the pitiful state of the place – she didn't want to think about any of it. Nor did she want to imagine a two months good spent in the company of Kai and Kesuke….

She merely prayed that Kai would derive some sort of plan soon, so she could follow it to her demise and –––

A sudden jolt pf pain caught her breathless; clutching her chest, Rae doubled over in agony. She reached into her pocket for her medication but decided against it – confident that she could carry on without it. There was nothing in this desert wasteland; and if she was to waste it all now…a long and painful death would await her.

Inhaling deeply she got to her feet and headed outside before the last ray of sunlight disappeared under the horizon.

_**It's all over for…  
…You  
(For you)  
When you're on the edge and falling off; it's all over for you  
(For you)  
When you're on the edge and falling off; it's all over**_

And now you're dead inside; still you wonder why  
It's all over  
And now you're dead inside; still you wonder why  
ITS ALL OVER  



	2. Haunted

Chapter 2

"Damn…" the blond set down the letter in her hand and rubbed her temples.

Her husband looked up from the report in his hands, "what is it now?" he muttered, evidently irritated.

"It's from my brother."

"The Kazek –"

She shook her head, "Kankuro…" she interjected, "Gaara _never_ writes."

He merely shrugged and turned back to the stack of ANBU mission reports sitting in before him, seemingly unaffected by his wife's outcry.

"Shikamaru!"

"WHAT?! I'm busy…your brother wrote, so what?"

Temari sighed, "I'm concerned about Gaara and the state Suna is in. From Kankuro's description, it seems as if everyone is leaving the village, even the shinobi….soon there will be no one left…"

"It was like a wasteland to begin with anyway…"Shikamaru muttered.

She raised an eyebrow, "What did you say?"

"Nothing…" he stammered, "Gaara is an ample leader."

Temari let out a soft sigh then stared down at the table, biting her lip. A terrible sadness clouded her teal eyes "Gaara…" she murmured.

Shikamaru scoffed, "he needs to get over himself and stop being a wussy emo."

"Don't speak about my brother like that!" Temari snapped.

He raised his hands in mock surrender, "I was kidding…Anyhow, your brother will need help, if all the shinobi are leaving" he muttered thoughtfully, "I will send a request to the Hokage, perhaps he could spare jounin and chuunin for the kazekage."

"_Arigato_!" she shouted happily as she reached over threw her arms around him.

"Anything at all for my favourite woman…"

She slapped him playfully across the face, "Eeh?! Favourite!? I'm your only!"

Shikamaru chuckled nervously, "_Gomen. Gomen._ I meant my **_only_**…"

"Now apologize!" she demanded like a child throwing a fit over candy.

_Women are so troublesome…but this one is so adorable…_he thought as he pulled her into his embrace and kissed her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hokage-sama…"

Uzumaki Naruto chewed on his lip thoughtfully as he flipped through the assignment books. Every able bodied jounin was on a sortie and had already _waiting lists_ of urgent missions under their names, and the chuunin...no…it would be too dangerous to send them to Suna.

"I'm afraid I can't be of any immediate assistance."

"But Hokage-sama…the Kazekage, he…"

"_Daijobu desu ka_, Shikamaru…" Naruto said with a genuine smile, "Temari may return to Suna promptly, I will send several jounin her way once they've return from their respective missions."

Shikamaru bowed gratefully then disappeared from the room.

Naruto sighed and picked up a picture frame on his cluttered desk. Staring at the photograph of himself and Gaara – taken a little over a year ago at his inauguration as Hokage (and before the troubles had come) – he wondered how his old friend was now.

_Hang in there, buddy..._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Nii-chan!" Temari greeted her little brother with a hug.

The Kazekage was seemingly taken aback by her sudden appearance, "What a pleasant surprise. O-Nee-san…what are you doing here?" he stammered.

"What do you mean?! I came to visit my baby brother!"

Gaara forced a smile, "_arigato_, nee-san" he said then pausing for a moment before speaking again "how is Konoha? Is Naruto-kun enjoying his appointment as Hokage?"

"Everything is fine in Konaha" she replied, "but how are _you_?"

He nodded, "I'm fine."

Temari rumpled his red hair affectionately, "silly brother, you haven't slept or eaten in days, how can you possibly be fine?"

"I'll be alright, I promise.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rae snuck quietly out of her room, unable to sleep. The objective was so close; so easily obtainable but… she couldn't bring herself to do anything. It was this or death and she was scared to death at the thought of dying. The thought of having –

She shook her head and turned her thoughts to other matters; that _thing_ for instance. Just what was it? And how could it wreak so much havoc? The Kazekage was without his source of almost unlimited power but he wasn't _powerless_. He was still a formidable ninja and far _more_ than capable of protecting Suna but why was this _thing_ still alive and roaming about?

Continuing down the street, she was disrupted from her train of thought by strange noises emanating from a nearby property. Rae reached for her kunai before proceeding toward the origin of the noise. Something was inside and it was definitely _not_ human; pressing her ear to the main entrance she heard an ugly sound somewhere between a choke and a gargle. There was something else indicating a presence; she felt a sense of urgency pressing upon her – restless and searching.

She pushed open the door but did not move any further. Rae stood at the threshold, knowing that she needn't step inside to know what had taken place here. The light of the swollen moon caught in the freshly spilt blood, glistening crimson. Rae glanced around – it was still here…but where? A dark shape darted out of the corner of her eye and long before she realized she was flat on her back; the _thing_ was gone once again.

"Shit!" she cursed as she clambered to her feet, shaken and bleeding. Rae pulled back her collar to relieve the wound it had inflicted upon her shoulder. She could still feel the searing pain in her shoulder as if had been slit open by a blade of fire, despite the fact that the thick marks oozing black blood were rapidly closing

_Impossible…_Rae thought, completely awestruck at what she was witnessing. Within in seconds the wound had disappeared leaving behind no scar, nor any sign of injury or a bruise even. At this shocking discovery, Rae's growing list of concerns had just lengthened itself.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rae returned home, still shaken but nevertheless careful to remain silent in fear of awaking Kesuke and Kai. Even when she had changed into her nightgown and lain down in bed; her fingers involuntarily crept back to the wound that had been inflicted upon early that night.

_How? How could it have…?_

Rae replayed the incident over and over again in her head. The pain was real, the crushing power of it was real – she hadn't been dreaming.

But where was the wound? Where was the scar?

Was it all genjutsu then?

She fell into restless slumber with these thoughts swimming about in her head. Tossing and turning, she thrashed at the unseen enemy in her sleep.

xllx

"_O-ka-san! O-to-san!" the little girl shouted._

_Her small frail voice echoed throughout the empty house. She slipped out of bed and ran to her parents' room. Too her horror – it was empty – there was nothing inside. It took a moment for her to finally realize that they had finally done it; they had left her. The girl dropped to her knees and began to sob uncontrollably until she noticed the single white envelope that lay on the ground at the center of the room. _

_She crawled over to it and eagerly tore it open. _

_Inside was a simple note scrawled in pencil and a necklace. "Sayonara" she said aloud the single word on the piece of paper. Turning it over and over in her hands, her eyes frantically searched the piece of paper, hoping for something more than "goodbye". _

_But there was nothing._

_The girl clutched the worthless note and envelope in her arms – it was the last memory of her parents; the last memory of ever being loved…or at least being tricked into thinking so. She lay down on the cold wood floor, breaking into tears once again._

"_Naze?! Naze?!" the girl screamed over and over again through her tears until her throat turned raw and her tears ran dry. _

_It was then she finally noticed the obsidian pendant and the necklace that she had let carelessly dropped on the ground. Fingering the cold black stone she was suddenly reminded that this was destiny. _

_As dutiful parents they had left that last little reminder of her undeniable fate._

_This was the way it was meant to be._


	3. Tourniquet

**a/n – partially rewritten.**

Chapter 3

"Gaara!" Temari called from the kitchen, "is Kankuro home yet?"

"No."

She thought for a moment, "where could her be, its already after dark…did he leave a note – something indicating where he could have gone?"

Temari and Gaara sat across from one another, staring at the meager meal she had managed to create – there was nothing left in the house only a basket of daikon and a handful of rice. However, it was still better food than the brothers had seen in weeks, so Gaara was grateful.

A half hour passed, but there was still no sight of Kankuro.

"Where are you?" Temari muttered.

Gaara stood up to leave, "I'm going to look for him."

"I'll come too"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What are we going to do?"

Temari wiped her sweat and blood from Kankuro's brow. Despite their efforts, his wounds failed to close and cease bleeding and it seemed as if he would not live through the night. Staring at his dying brother, the Kazekage seemed lost in thought, "Stay with o-nii-san" he said as he turned to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"To get help."

Temari sighed, "the medics have tried and failed" she pleaded, "they've never seen anything like this…please just stay by him, be there for him."

"I'll find a way. O-nii-san will live to see the sunrise."

Rae sat up, rudely awakened by the knocking at the door. She rubbed her eyes and pulled her housecoat tighter around her before heading out to answer the door.

"Good evening, how may I be of assistance?" she asked with a soft yawn.

"I'm sorry to have awakened you Rae-san but my brother has been attacked and is heavily injured and needs medical attention immediately. Could you lend us your medic?"

She paused for a moment, repeating what she had just heard in her head, "oh, Kazekage-sama, of course. Come in and take a seat. I will go get Kesuke for you." she told him then ran off. "Kesuke!" she yelled, knocking on his door, "your services are needed by Kazakage -sama."

"What?!" he snapped as he pulled open the door.

Rae rolled her eyes, "Kesuke the medic to the rescue…." she muttered, "now get moving before he loses patience and decides to kill us all."

Kesuke opened his mouth to protest but spotting Kai-sama out of the corner of his eye, he gave her a dirty look before running off to fetch his things. Kai smiled smugly. "He daren't defy you the next time, I'll make sure of it, my dear" he murmured as he pushed a lock of her chestnut hair out of her eyes, "now go get dressed, let us accompany Kesuke. This is certainly a most perfect opportunity…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The puppeteer was truly in terrible shape when the bounty hunters arrived. Each wound was incessantly oozing blood – thick and black; the skin surrounding the wound had taken on an unnatural appearance: black and scorched as if it had been burned. Kesuke knelt before his patient dumbfounded but suddenly remembered the conversation with Rae on their way here.

"_Kesuke-kun" Rae whispered in his ear, "he needs blood, my blood"_

_He turned to her with a look of shock in his eyes, "but…your blood –"_

"_Will cure him, I'm certain of it."_

The medic reached into his bag and removed the necessary equipment, "Kankuro-san will require a blood transfusion. His body is too weak" Kesuke told the gathering of people at the foot of Kankuro's bed. He pulled out a strip of thin white paper from a small canister and dabbed into a drop of Kankuro's blood – it instantaneously turned green. Without hesitation, the Kazekage rolled up his sleeve and held his arm out to the medic but Kesuke shook his head, "In his frail state, we must ensure the blood he receives is 100 percent compatible"

"But I'm his _brother_!"

Kesuke sighed, "_Gomen nasai, Kazekage-sama._ I understand your willingness to help your brother but I'm searching for special clotting property in one's blood. And though you may be his brother, you may very well not carry it"

He handed each person in the room a strip of paper then instructed them to place a drop on their blood onto it – if it turned green – it would be a match.

"Kesuke-kun, mine is green" Rae said, holding up the piece of paper for all to see. The Kazekage stared at her in horror, but it was unknown it was whether out of surprise or disgust at the discovery of the little trick she and Kesuke had played.

"How is this possible?" the Kazekage protested.

Rae smiled, "I reassure you, Kazekage-sama, that if _anything_ befalls your brother – I am at your mercy" she said calmly, watching as the blood drained out of her arm, into the clearing tubing then the opaque latex bag. Despite the Kazekage's unrest, Kesuke administered the donated blood.

A quarter hour passed with little difference in the patient's condition. The tension in the room was mounting and a deadly silence hung in the air. The only sound was that of Kankuro's laboured breathing as he struggled to cling onto what life remained in him. Rae could feel the Kazekage glaring at her then. With his eyes green and cold as jade, his gaze was burning a hole through her.

Several minutes passed and it quickly became evident that the bleeding was slowing and that the wounds were gradually beginning to clot over with blood. Rae smiled to herself, hearing Kesuke breath a sigh of relief. The painfully careful process of cleaning and dressing Kankuro's wounds began shortly. Kesuke worked diligently – as the closing wounds must not be disturbed, but also with utmost urgency – the secret must not be revealed.

Rae was ready to depart as soon as Kankuro was presumed to be in a stable condition. Despite refusal from the Kazekage, it was decided that Kesuke would stay in the household to watch over the wounded Kankuro until he was fully recovered.

"If you're so concerned, why don't you watch over him?" Kesuke snapped.

"Kesuke!" Kai said sharply, "Rae's not well"

"Then she shouldn't involve herself in other people's business!"

Rae sighed, "it's fine…I will stay."

"But…Rae –"

"I said I'll be fine!" she snapped, storming back into the room.


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n – the old chapter 4 is now 5 and has been rewritten. This is a new addition. )**

Chapter 4

The Kazekage watched the girl with growing dissatisfaction while she crouched over Kankuro, furiously massaging his limbs to resume blood flow to the puppeteer's numb, oxygen-starved forearms and hands. The medic had returned to their quarters with their leader, leaving the _girl _behind to watch over his brother. Gaara rubbed the sleep from his eyes; he had to keep watch over Kankuro and over _her. _There was something unsettling about her…was she even a qualified medic?

After three seemingly futile hours, the girl stopped, wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve and reached out to examine her patient – still numb and cold. She let out a soft sigh as she sat back on her heels and thought for a moment, then reached into the pack Kesuke had left with her for a box of needles of various lengths. The girl took a deep breath and focused her eyes on the needle in her right hand while she reassured her visual judgement by gently pressing down with two fingers of her left at the predetermined point of contact. Exhaling she inserted the needle several millimetres under the skin and turned it gently between her thumb and index finger. Gaara watched while she repeated the process in other previously designated positions. She sat in silence with her head bowed for a long time after the needles had been put away.

"Kazekage-sama, you should rest" she said finally.

Gaara grunted and closed his eyes but said nothing, still sitting upright on the ground with his legs crossed in front of him almost in a meditative state. Even with his eyes closed, he did not cease to observe her with his other senses. The air was still; the only sound was that of Kankuro's laboured breathing; there was no movement or change in the chakra around him – she daren't do something while he was present. Each time he opened his eyes, he saw the girl sitting with her head bowed and eyes lowered; hands folded neatly in her lap. Taking one last glance, Gaara reassured himself that everything would be fine before drifting off into a series of restless dreams.

Rae let out a small sigh of relief when she was sure that the Kazekage had drifted off to sleep and was no longer watching her like a hawk. He was suspicious (of that she was sure) but whether it was of her true motives or her medical capabilities, she did not know. Her previous reservations about the nature of this 'thing' that terrorised Suna was confirmed, having seen Kankuro's wounds for herself. The skin surrounding the infliction was pallid; the veins underneath throbbed dark and sinewy underneath the deathly white skin; the wound itself stunk and from it oozed black, fetid blood. Undoubtedly, this was the mark of a wraith; lifeless and formless it would stalk away unscathed by any weapon or jutsu flung its way. Being already dead, it was invincible, immortal. Rae was disturbed from her train of thought when the Kazakage suddenly stirred; muttering something to himself while trashing wildly at an unseen attacker. She ignored him for the time being, hoping it would pass. Moments later, the Kazekage's eyes snapped open. His appearance was that of a deer come upon by a pack of wolves – disturbed, frightened and gasping for air in each short, staggered breath he took. Rae kept her head bowed; her hands remained folded in her lap as if nothing had come to pass… this was none of her concern.

Dawn broke after a long and seemingly endless night but neither the Kazekage nor the girl moved from their respective places by the bedridden puppeteer. The door slid open and a cheery face blonde walked into the room. "Good morning!" she said with a broad smile, "how is everyone doing?"

"Fine, thank you nee-san" the Kazekage replied.

"Kankuro-san is making a slow but steady recovery" Rae said.

She sat down beside her brother and prodded him gently in the side, "why the long face, Gaara-chan? Kankuro is getting better!" she whispered.

The additional presence made Rae uncomfortable; she had to do _something_ to pass the time. She rummaged through the bag Kesuke had left behind and laid out the supplies in front of her – she would change his dressings now. "Where can I get a basin of water?" she asked, suddenly interrupting the siblings' hushed conversation.

"Downstairs to you left, there is a well"

Rae nodded then backed out of the room with a bow before sliding the door shut.

"You seem displeased" Temari said aloud, "has she done something wrong?"

Gaara shrugged, "nothing. She just….bothers me" he replied, "the sooner she leaves, the better. I don't want her here."

His sister raised an eyebrow, "huh?"

"There's something….not right about her. I don't know how to explain it."

Temari chuckled, "does she make you feel…hmmm…uncomfortable?" she sneered, "I see. I see…" she giggled.

"O-nee-san!"

"Give it a couple days, you're opinion might change" she said with a wink.

The girl returned and the conversation came to an abrupt stop.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Give it some time…_

He still didn't like the look of her. Her cold grey eyes had already made an undesirable impression upon him since their first meeting. But a person so kind ought not to have eyes consumed with death and such deep hatred. However, in the several days she spent there, she'd done nothing but care diligently for Kankuro. Gaara felt almost ashamed for watching her so intently but between the four of them in the room – himself, Temari, Kankuro and _her_ – at most hours she was the only novelty and the only thing of interest to him.

Sometimes he liked to sit there with his eyes closed and feel all the chakra around him; all the foreign forces mingling with his own energy. The flow of Kankuro's chakra was weak but growing as he slowly regained his strength and moved little. Temari's chakra was more spontaneous but also steady for the most part. Last was the girl, Rae's; each ebb and flow of her chakra swept the room slowly the way a wave spread out over a pond from the centre where the pebble had gone under. Her chakra never remained still; it was always moving and reaching out with long thin wispy fingers as if searching for something. He let her reach inside once, just once….and for a moment she seemed to have evaded his thoughts.

_What do you dream of every night? _

_What frightens you so?_

Their eyes met for a moment as the wall reappeared and forced her out. The expression on her face was blank while his was a look of surprise and disgust. Rae bowed her head. When he closed his eyes and 'looked' again, her chakra was still, gathered about her like an aura and no longer searching.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rae watched the Kazekage, trashing around in his sleep as he had done every other night. She could only guess at what he dreamt of but it was undoubtedly something vile and horrible. Rae returned to her task of changing Kankuro's dressing when he stirred, "what's going on?" he asked hoarsely. Rae pressed a finger to her lips and glanced at the Kazekage. The puppeteer rolled his eyes, "not again…" he murmured.

"Does he dream often?"

Kankuro thought for a moment, "periodically he will have reoccurring dreams. Just ignore him if you can…"

She nodded, "how are you feeling"

"Half-dead" he muttered in reply, "I'm starving and thirsty"

Rae nodded, "I'll fetch you something to eat"

"At this hour? Temari will scold me!" he whispered, pointing at the blonde leaning, asleep, against the wall.

"Patients must eat if they expect to make a speedy recovery"

Rae slide the door shut behind her and let out a soft sigh. It was a relief to be able to leave that room and she took every opportunity presented to her to leave it, often to fetch water or food.

The kitchen was empty save some root vegetables, seasoning and a handful of rice. Running to the well, she returned with a bucket of water and began to wash the muddy daikon and potatoes in the cool water. Putting the white lump down she swiftly divided herself into several bushin and sent the first off to hunt some game; a third she sent to gather some herbs and the last remained with her to help her in the kitchen.

She tapped her fingers impatiently, awaiting the return of her counterparts; the vegetables were cut and the water already set upon the stove. The first appeared in the door with a pigeon in each hand and was promptly sent to scald and gut the birds. Rae scurried around the kitchen with her bushins and produced, in a matter of minutes, a pot of pigeon stew. Three bushins immediately disappeared, leaving one to help her carry the food upstairs.

"Is that food I smell, Rae-san?"

Rae nodded slowly as she set down the food beside the puppeteer then helped him sit up. "Can you sit?" she asked him as she presented him with a bowl of stew.

He grinned, "wow…"

She shook gently Temari awake, "Temari-san"

"Hmm? Is something the matter?"

"_Iie_…" Rae whispered as she handed the blonde a bowl of stew, "you haven't eaten anything in days…"

"Thank you" Temari nodded as she accepted it, "what about Gaara?"

"You should wake him. He seems to not like me very much…" she whispered.

Temari thought for a moment, "where did you manage to find this?"

Rae winked, "the wonders of the kage bushin…"

"It's good…Have you eaten?"

The girl nodded, "in any case. Kankuro appears to be in much better health. I think I should leave now."

"But –"

"I need to rest Temari-san. His dressing I have already changed" Rae explained, "I will visit twice a day to change them but otherwise, he is in no danger and should be up and about in several days."

"Thanks again"

Rae smiled before retreating from the room with her things.


	5. Chapter 5

**a/n – this is a sort of 'big' update. I've rewritten segments of chapter three, moved and rewritten chapter 4 (it is now 5) and inserted a new chapter 4. If you haven't read the updated material, you'll find yourself a little lost. ;**

Chapter 5

Night time in the desert was calm and cold. The silently shifting sands and the breeze added an element of inexplicable eeriness to the desert after sunset.

"Quiet isn't it?" Kai asked.

Rae nodded in response, "it's peaceful."

He looked at her, "almost too quiet, don't you think?"

"I suppose?"

After a long pause, Kai spoke again, "I can't believe I let you talk me into this" he muttered, "we're not actually going after that _thing_ are we?"

"Who knows?"

Kai sighed heavily, "remind me, why are we doing this again?" he muttered to himself, "oh, right because Rae-chan is bored…when she should be in bed resting…silly Rae-chan… always running around restlessly when she's ill. Not lady-like at all."

Rae turned to him, "I didn't ask you to come with me" she hissed.

"How can I possibly leave my precious to wander the streets alone with that _thing_ roaming around?" he smirked, snaking his arm around her waist but she pushed him away, completely disgusted.

She rolled her eyes, "it attacked me…" she growled, pulling back her collar to bare the claw marks above her chest.

"Ooo…so now its personal…would you like me to kiss it better?"

Rae ignored his snide remark and walked faster ahead but halted not two steps from where she had began, "shhh…someone is coming" she whispered, scanning the perimeter. Moments later a figure carrying something large on its back emerged from the shadows. Upon closer examination, she realized it was the Kazekage. Both Kai and Rae bowed as they greeted Sabaku no Gaara.

"What are we doing out at this hour?" he asked with a slight frown.

"Ha –"

Rae jabbed Kai in the stomach with her elbow, "hunting, Kazekage-sama. We've heard that the _thing_ only appears at night"

"Ah… very well" he nodded thoughtfully, "any luck thus far?"

Kai shook his head, "I'm afraid not. But I – "

Rae clasped her hand over Kai's mouth and pressed a finger to her lips then mouthed the words "something is coming". One minute Rae was on feet, the next she was flat on her stomach, her assailant holding her hands behind her back and a katana to her throat. Gaara immediately stepped forward but Kai halted him, "watch"

The cold steel grazed her neck, drawing a thin line of blood. He bent down and dropped his chin to nuzzle her bloody neck. For a moment, it appeared as if the assailant was only playing…. He threw his head back, almost in a state of ecstasy and smiled, the blood on his lips glistening in the moonlight. Suddenly, the blade jerked back severing her head; the second the blade made a clean cut, the bushin disappeared and Rae emerged from the sand underneath her attacker. The first blow caught him in the jaw and he leapt back, surprised. Rae began to advance but stopped and began to perform a series of hand seals, "**Kokuangyo no jutsu!" **

**The opponent froze, stunned like faun come upon by a pack of wolves. Rae approached and **stood over him, her right foot grinding into his ribs, "what do you want?"

The assailant was silent.

"Who sent you?" she demanded.

When she received no reply, she struck him at the base of the neck then dragged the unconscious assailant back toward the Kazekage and Kai.

"As you can see, Kazekage-sama" Kai explained, seeing that she was approaching them, her task complete, "there was no need to be concerned."

"Kazekage-sama" Rae said with a bow as she dumped the body at his feet.

Gaara nodded, "What do you propose we do with him?"

She thought for a moment, "We could search it, hold it for questioning, I suppose" she replied, "He would not speak when I demanded an answer of him…but under torture, the result maybe different"

"Interrogation?" the Kai raised an eyebrow, "if his contractor can only afford to send assassins of his calibre, we've nothing to concern ourselves with"

The Kazekage sighed, "I will have a team perform the interrogation" he said.

Rae shook her head, almost in disagreement, "Kazekage-sama…if your shinobi perform the interrogation then the file becomes classified documents to which neither Kai-san nor I will have any access. I would like to perform it myself, under your supervision… I must know the truth."

"Would it not be simpler for our shinobi to perform the task?"

She sighed, "_demo, _Kazekage-sama. I was attacked and I intend to discover why"

Gaara sighed as he slung the fallen assailant over his shoulder like a rag doll, "If you must, Rae-san. We can arrange for you to sit in on the interrogation"

Rae bowed, "thank you, Kazekage-sama"

"Follow me then"

"Show off" Kai hissed into her ear as he fell into step beside her while the Kazekage walked ahead to lead the way. Rae scoffed but said no more. Her mind was troubled with more important matters than arguing with Kai – the attacker…

….what did he want? But more importantly who did he want?

The Kazekage would be the obvious target but he had gone after her…Was she to be the hostage? The ransom? But why kill her? Or did he know about the bushin?

Rae sighed, her mind was muddled with questions and possibilities.

"Are you scared?"

"Hmm?"

"That _is_ why you asked to interrogate him yourself, isn't it?"

She glared at him out of the corner of her eye but did not reply.

Kai sighed, "you should have killed him"

"I need to know….He came after me, this you saw. For him to be after the Kazekage, it didn't make sense that he would kill me. It seems more plausible that he was in fact, after _us_"

He chuckled, "don't worry, it will be fine."

"But I _do_ worry. I've been attacked – have you any idea what these means?"

Kai rolled his eyes, "as if we're of any worth to a petty assassin" he muttered, "we've neither fortune nor power – what could he want from either of us?"

"To stop us from…"her words faded into the night breeze.

Sighing, Kai glanced at his companion out of the corner of his eye. She worried too much, meddled too much and one of these days it was going to cost them. Staying a week to watch over Kazekage's brother and now this…what exactly did she have in mind? The longer she put it off, the harder it would become… couldn't she see that? All she was doing now was wasting time and growing attached to this stupid place but moreover to…he couldn't bear the thought of it.

He sighed softly and walked on.

But the way she looked at the Kazekage bothered him; the way she bowed before him; spoke to him, even – Kai clenched his fist – she didn't dare…

Kai stood behind the clear, sound proof glass watching the procession of the interrogation. The assailant sat bound to his chair by chakra threads while the shinobi questioned him vigilantly. Several times he attempted to escape by slowly forming seals with this bound but still mobile hands, this abruptly came to a stop when the Rae tightened the bindings around his wrists and threatened to sever his hands in this manner. She spoke little throughout the ordeal and spent much of her time in observation or seemingly lost in thought.

When asked about the contents he carried with him – a map, contact explosives and a letter written in code he acted as he had previously done, spat and refused to speak. The signal was given and instruments of torture were taken into the interrogation room by a third shinobi dressed in scrubs, presumably a medic. A canister of liquid nitrogen was placed before him and the question restated.

Silence.

The medic picked up the flask with a pair of tongs then emptied upon the assailant's the head some of its contents. A dull hum reached Kai's ears, a remnant of the blood curdling scream that escaped his throat. The repeated silence was retorted with emptying of the flask onto other parts of the body until the assailant finally broke. The shinobi emerged from the chamber a short while later, satisfied; the criminal was to be returned to his cell. His face now unrecognizable from the damage the freezing had inflicted upon his skin.

"Well?"

"He confessed to the order assassination of the Kazekage but I'm not convinced"

"Why?"

"He spoke only after they tortured him" she explained, "I think he lied so that they would stop."

Kai sighed, "what do you think he was after?"

She shrugged, "we will never know" she muttered, giving Kai one last long look before heading down the hallway. _What sort of fool do you take me for, Kai-san?_


	6. Chapter 6

**a/n – slight modification. Gaara asking questions seems a little desperate and OOC…in short, it's been fixed-ish.**

**(It's hella difficult to make Gaara nice w/o seeming OOC! Belive me, I'm trying my best, even if it doesn't seem like it . )**

Chapter 6

The Kazekage walked solemnly down the street, a freshly killed hare wrapped in the brown paper package he carried in his right hand. Temari had requested that the recovering Kankuro be brought something 'nutritious' and this was all he could find. The market was empty, each store had but a few root vegetables and desert grasses for sale, meat was impossible to find and grain was a rare come by. How much had –

He was suddenly disturbed by the loud bawling of a child standing in the middle of the road. Gaara frowned as he scanned the perimeter, no one paid the child any attention and his guardian was seemingly nowhere to be found. He took a step toward the child but halted when he saw the brunette from the party of bounty hunters approach the small boy.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Oka-san. I can't find her!" he sobbed.

She patted the child on the head and picked him up, "come on, we'll go look for her" she reassured the child. She stood still as she scanned the street, pointing this way and that, only to be told 'no' each time. The boy began to sob once again, "I'm never going to find her again!" he cried.

"Shhh…that's not true" she reassured him. Gaara observed silently as she scurried down the street, poking her head into one stand after another – it appeared as if the mother was truly nowhere to be found.

"Hayato!" a voice called.

Rae set the child down, "mother's here!" she said with a smile.

"What were you doing with my baby?!" the woman snapped angrily.

"I was –"

"Stay away from my Hayato..." she snapped then tugged the child away.

The girl sighed softly and a sad smile spread over her face as she turned and walked away. Seeing this, Gaara approached her to apologize for the woman's actions. "Rae-san" he called out after her.

She turned around, "oh…Kazekage-sama" she said with a bow.

"I saw what happened…and I would like to apologize on her behalf…"

She smiled and shook her head, "it's quite alright; I would have been equally hostile had I seen my child with a complete stranger"

Gaara nodded.

"How is Kankuro-san?"

"He has made a full recovery"

Rae nodded then disappeared into the sparse cover of the crowd; Gaara walked on clutching the prized hare tightly in his right fist, unaware of the animal's warm blood slowly trickling down the back of his hand.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rae 'hunted' alone tonight. Forever stopping to scan the area around her, she little progress. Having properly learned her lesson from the attack several nights ago, Rae knew that she could no longer rely solely on being able to identify the presence of an anomaly. She also had to be able to overcome it….and if not, she at least had to be able to escape alive. In her present condition, anything more difficult than the assassin she had encountered three nights ago would prove to be problematic. And he was, _at best_, only chuunin level. She froze, having sensed a large pool of chakra approaching. It drew closer and closer still; she had to make a choice now: to fight or to fle –

"Rae-san!"

She breathed a sigh of relief, _good God…_

"Yes?"

"Hunting alone tonight?"

Rae nodded, "and yourself, Kazekage-sama, on patrol duty?"

He replied the affirmative and they walked on in awkward silence. Rae opened her mouth to speak but promptly decided against it and yawned softly instead. It was only when the silence became unbearable she finally asked her companion whether he had seen anything out of the ordinary thus far, to which he replied 'no'. Part of her wanted to find an excuse to send him away but another part of her insisted that she was safe in his presence. Rae decided she would trust the latter and dropped her guard.

"You suddenly stopped scanning the area, Rae-san"

"Hmm? Scan?"

Gaara nodded, "do you not send your chakra out in a circular wave around you?"

Rae nodded slowly, taken aback by his comment. _I suppose he's not the Kazekage for nothing…_she thought. Rarely, if ever, were people able to sense the minimal amount of chakra she spread out around her.

She nodded, "yes…I did"

"I had intended to ask you about that" he continued, "how is it done?"

Rae thought for a moment, "it's a simple matter of concentrating the chakra and letting it flow outward from the centre of your body" she explained, "even in minimal amounts, I find it wasteful and rather taxing"

The Kazekage nodded and took a deep breath. _He's going to try it..._ Rae smirked. It had taken her nearly a year to perfect and another to be able to be able to sustain it for more than several minutes. But being one of such skill and capacity, Rae would not be surprised if he _was_ able to perform it on his first try. He **did**…and it swept outward toward her. The sheer force of it stunned her, literally. "Wow"

"Not exactly like that, huh?"

Rae smiled, "slower and with less chakra" she said.

The second try was feebler than the first but still much too obvious, she explained, the object of the technique was to create 'waves' so minute that they were undetectable. "You still need to work on it yourself then, Rae-san" Gaara sneered. She stared him blankly then let out a soft chuckle, "of course, of course. Perfection is unattainable" she said, "it took me a year to reach your currently level of control. At this rate, you will surpass me in a matter of days, Kazakage-sama"

"But never reach perfection?"

She shrugged, "oh, I don't know. Kages are the best of the best…are they not?" after a short pause, Rae resumed her habitual tone of polite indifference, "I've disturbed you for too long, Kazekage-sama…"

"Not at all, Rae-san" he said with an uneasy smile, "thank you for your time"

Rae bowed and retreated into the shelter of the darkness. _What the hell am I doing?_ She shook her head furiously to clear her mind of the unnecessary thoughts that now crowded her objective. She was beginning to grow too fond of this God forsaken place and much too fond of the Kazekage. Despite his cold and detached appearance, there was something fragile and tangible about him. She had sensed while he dreamt and again when she'd accidentally allowed herself to wander too far and delve too deep.

Rae pinched herself.

_Here I go again…on and on about **him**…_But what else was there to think about? Kai-san and how had sent that bastard after her three nights ago? It only aroused her anger and deepened her hate. Her mind still could not grasp the concept of how, and moreover, _why_ he tried to kill (or frighten her, at least)? Rae wondered for a moment whether her growing infatuation with the Kazakage was simply a product of her hidden knowledge and discreetly boiling anger; _her_ way of repaying Kai's 'kindly' gesture….

….what then? She would pursue her obsession and repay the deed in full. Suddenly the prospect of failing the task lost its frightening grip. After all, it was Kai-san who needed her, not the other way around. He would be a fool to let her die and a greater fool still to continue trying her patience and intelligence.


End file.
